by T. J. Quinn
With Colborn away, they had become deafening, tormenting her night and day, and giving her neither peace nor truce.
She knew the reason why things had become worse lately. Against all the odds, she had fallen in love with Colborn, she knew better than anyone she only hurt the people she loved, and she surely didn’t deserve to be loved. Not that she thought he was in love with her. She knew he wasn’t, but she couldn’t keep denying her love for him.
In that faraway planet, she had discovered an amazing man, able to warm her heart and push away all her demons, even if for just a few moments. In his arms, she had found not only pleasure but also solace and comfort, and she would always be grateful for that.
But she couldn’t fight any longer. It was time to give up.
They ordered the food, and while they were waiting, he invited her to take a shower with him. She didn’t say no.
Once under the warm stream, he cradled her face and stole a deep, passionate kiss from her lips, pushing her until he had her against the wall.
“I need you tonight, more than ever.” He murmured in her ear, kissing and nibbling her lobe, while his hands played with her perfect breasts, teasing her hard nipples that not even the warm water was able to smooth.
“Then, take me.” She whispered back, with a wicked smile on her face.
He captured her nipples between his fingers and squeezed them gently before he slid his hands down her sides to her buttocks, grasping them hard. In just seconds, he had pulled her up against the wall and pushed his hard cock towards her belly.
“I’ve missed you so much…” he said, once more as she wrapped her arms around his strong neck and rubbed herself up and down on his shaft.
“I’ve missed you too.” She confessed with a shy smile.
Smiling, he pulled her a bit more up until he was able to capture her nipples with his mouth, to suck and nibble them at will while she moaned her pleasure.
Too hungry to go on teasing, he shoved a couple of fingers inside her, preparing her for him, as his thumb searched for her throbbing clit and rubbed it with passion and eagerness. She moaned and tossed her head back, as her body burned in the fire of their passion. A few moments later, he replaced his fingers with his hard cock, and soon they were traveling down the path to paradise where wild waves of pleasure crashed over them, turning them into quivering masses of bliss.
They went to bed in each other’s arms, tired but satisfied, though still worried about what might be happening in the king’s quarters.
The following morning they were woken up by a strange sound, something that sounded a lot like a blast and shuddered the palace walls.
Worried, they jumped out of bed and put on their tunics before they ran towards the king’s rooms to find out what had happened.
Eleanor had been successfully converted, and the whole palace had motives to celebrate.
Colborn instead preferred to take Gil Ra and go home, right after he and the others talked to the king about the details of the conversion.
Gil Ra wasn’t very pleased with his plans, but he insisted on having her with him.
She separated the clothes she had done and bagged them, asking Ingvar to deliver them to their owners, before she picked up the few suits and tunics she had been wearing ever since she arrived on the planet.
“You didn’t do any new clothes for you.” He noticed when she was finishing packing.
For a moment, she looked at him, flustered, not knowing what to say. But she recovered quickly, shrugging.
“I’ll have time to make some more for me.”
“You could have done some for you now. I’m sure that you, more than anyone else, feel uncomfortable with our clothing,” he said, not convinced.
“I really don’t care, believe me.” She insisted. “I guess I’m ready.”
“The furniture we chose has arrived, but with all this trouble I had forgotten to mention it to you.” he said, as he guided her out of her room.
“Oh, that reminds me. The cushions are ready too. We need to pick them at the work room.” She remembered, slapping her forehead.
“Perfect. I’ll ask someone to move your machines to the house as well.” He told her with a smile.
“There’s no rush. I’m taking a few days off sewing.” She said with a faint smile.
He frowned. “Are you sure? Even if you’re not using them, you could have it installed in a room I prepared for it.”
“Thank you, that was very kind of you, but we’ll decide that later.” She insisted.
He wasn’t very pleased, but he didn’t say anything else. In a matter of minutes, he had her installed in his house, sharing his room.
She considered the idea of asking for her own room, but then decided it wasn’t worth the fight. She wouldn’t be around much longer.
Now, all she needed was to find a way out.
They spent the rest of the day relaxing and chatting, getting to know a bit more about themselves, though he was the one doing almost all of the talking. He told her about his parents and how they had had trouble having children, and how they had finally had him when they were reaching the end of their lives.
“How many years do you live?” she asked him puzzled.
“Around two hundred and fifty of our years. Since our planet is further away from the sun than yours, I’m assuming our years are longer than yours.” He explained.
“Yes, most probably. Even the day seems longer.” She nodded. “So how old are you now?”
“I’m eighty years old.” He confessed. “We reach majority at fifty.”
“Wow… that’s quite an age difference.” She chuckled, amused.
“How old are you?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“I’m twenty-three years old.” She replied with a naughty grin on her face.
He scowled. “Yes, it’s quite a difference.”
“So, you lost your parents too early.” She concluded.
“Yes, I had just turned fifty. Our species is fertile until they reach the end of their lives, but we don’t usually have too many kids. Children are scarce among us, and girls have become a rarity.” He explained.
“That’s so sad, but I’m sure you’ll be able to solve that problem soon.” She said, with a faint smile.
“Now that we know the conversion is real and possible, the sky is the limit.” He agreed with a broad smile.
“Will you do it with your soulmate?” she asked, trying to ignore the pain in her chest. She had no right to feel pain or jealousy.
“If I ever have one and she agrees, then yes, of course.” He nodded.
“I’m sure she will. That will allow her to stay with you more time.” She assured him.
“Would you accept?” he asked, locking his eyes on hers.
But she turned her face and gave him an evasive answer. “I believe any woman would.”
Colborn considered insisting on having a straight answer, but he dismissed the idea noticing she had been more reserved than ever the whole day as if she was trying to build a wall between them.
Chapter Eleven
That night, he took her to bed and made love to her as if there was no tomorrow. Taking the time to take her to Paradise a couple of times before he sought his own pleasure. He collapsed next to her after it and pulled her into his arms, while he closed his eyes and allowed his body to have the rest it needed.
Gil Ra waited for him to fall asleep before she moved away from him and jumped out of bed. She wasn’t even going to try to fall asleep. The last thing she wanted was for her demons to attack her during her sleep and wake up Colborn. He apparently needed some rest, and she could skip the interrogation.
She put on her tunic and walked to the living room, sitting on the floor, next to the huge window. She wanted to go outside, but she knew it was too cold. Not cold enough as to end her troubles, but yes as to make her get sick again and that would only trouble others. She didn’t want that. She leaned her head against the cold glass and clo
sed her eyes, as the last images of Nari filled her mind. She could still hear her crying, and the pain inside her chest was still the same, if not worse.
She covered her ears, trying to muffle the sound, as hot tears rolled down her cheeks, but it was impossible. It would never stop. She would always hear it, as long as she lived.
Colborn woke up the minute she left the bed. He missed her warmth immediately, but he didn’t move or say anything. He wanted to see what she was going to do. He waited for her to leave the room before he got up, put on some clothes and followed her.
He found her in the main room, sitting on the floor, crying her heart out. He had never heard something so disheartening than her cry and his first instinct was to go over there and take her in his arms and offer her his comfort.
But something told him he shouldn’t interrupt her. If he did, she would stop crying and closed herself up even more. He knew she was hiding something from him, something that was pushing her away from him, but pressing her to tell him what it was, wouldn’t work with her. He knew it. He had to find a way to make her open up to him, but so far; he had no idea how he was going to achieve that.
He didn’t interrupt her, but he didn’t go away either. He decided to stay there, in the dark, sitting on the floor, just in case she needed him. The sound of her crying was heart-wrenching, and it took all his self-control not to go there and ask her to stop. The only reason he didn’t was that she seemed to need it.
At some point, she stopped and lay down there, on the floor, as if she too drained to move.
He waited for a few more minutes to make sure she was sound asleep before he got up and went to pick her up and take her to bed.
The following morning, Gil Ra woke up in bed, feeling a bit confused. She didn’t remember having returned to the bed. She looked to the other side of the bed, but she was alone. Colborn wasn’t around, and the house was in silence.
She jumped out of bed and went straight to the bathroom. She needed a shower urgently, to start feeling human again.
When she arrived at the kitchen, Colborn’s face was on the screen he used to order food.
She touched it, and a video started playing.
“Hi… thought you needed a bit more of sleep, so I didn’t wake you up this morning. I was summoned to a meeting at the palace, but it shouldn’t be long. Your breakfast is ready, so please eat. I’ll be home as soon as possible.” He said, always with a naughty smile on his face.
She gave the image a sad smile and looked for the food he mentioned. He had left her a feast, with a wide variety of food to tempt anyone.
She ate some, and after she was done, she decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood. She was feeling down, emotionally exhausted, eager to end it all.
She left him a written message on something similar to the paper she found and left the house, wearing one of her suits and her cloak.
She didn’t find many people on the streets but those she met, smiled at her curious, but no one talked to her. She had no idea for how long she walked, or even how far.
At some point, she arrived at a coastal road.
The ocean was quite impressive, with its orange water and an overwhelming immensity. The waves crashed on the sandy beach, showing its power and strength.
She decided to walk along the road, with no plans in her mind, just to tire herself enough so she could get some dreamless sleep.
After a while, the road started to go up, and a few minutes later, she had reached a cliff over the sea. She reached the edge and looked down, not surprised to see she was very high above the sea. The waves crashed violently against the bottom of the cliff, and a cold wind blew up, bringing her the song of the sea.
She took a step closer to the edge, staring at the waves crashing down there. Perhaps this was the moment she had been waiting for.
She looked around, and there was no one in sight. No one to witness her giving up, surrendering to the pain that had been eating her alive for too long.
Colborn’s face came to her mind, and she stepped back, remembering all she had lived with him, the pleasure and the happiness he had given her. But then she remembered he wasn’t for her, her time with him would be short and when it ended, she would be lonelier than ever and with a crushed heart.
She couldn't go through that; she couldn't take any more pain. She had to end it all. Tears started rolling down her cheeks, blinding her momentarily, as she took the last few steps to freedom.
Colborn arrived home, and the heavy silence that greeted him sent a chill down his spine. Gil Ra wasn’t there. Just to be sure, he searched the whole house, until he found the message she had left him, on top of the meals’ room table. He couldn’t read what she had written, his translator worked with sounds, but he scanned the message and had it translated by the house’s central artificial intelligence. She had gone out for a walk.
Worried, as he had never been before, he allowed his wings to come out and flew out of the house, trying to catch her scent.
He had no idea when she had left, and he had forgotten to check the house cameras. Fortunately, he picked up her scent not far from the house, and he followed, astounded by how far she had walked. He stopped when he reached the seashore, looking around to see if he could spot her, but she was nowhere to be seen. It was too windy for him to pick up her scent, so he had to go with his instincts, the same instincts that were shouting inside his head something was terribly wrong.
He speeded up, his eyes looking all over the place as he followed the coastal road, trying to see her. After a few minutes, he spotted her at the top of a cliff, staring at the ocean.
He was still far from her, but something in her attitude scared him even more, and he added more speed to his wings, eager to get to her. Now, he was sure something was wrong.
But before he could reach her, she jumped.
“Gil Ra…” he shouted, as he watched her fall down the cliff.
His heart stopped for a second as he howled his pain, pushing his wings to their limit, struggling to get to her in time and save her from the sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff.
And he made it. He flew faster than ever in his life and managed to catch her just before she hit the ground, flying away from the danger and landing on the beach nearby, collapsing to his knees, with her still in his arms.
He was panting so hard, that he wasn’t able to utter a word at first, so he just kept her tight in his arms, as his breathing slowly came to normal. She hadn’t said anything either, she was just there, crying with her eyes closed.
“Why… why would you want to do such a terrible thing?” he finally whispered in her ear.
She shook her head and said nothing, but he needed answers.
"What can possibly be so terrible that you would go this far?" he insisted. "Am I making you this miserable? Is that it?" there was so much pain in his voice that he was having trouble uttering the words and although she was distraught, she was able to perceive it.
“No… no… please… it has nothing to do with you…” she assured him, sobbing. “You have made me happier than anyone in a very long, long time…”
“Then why?”
“I just can’t go on anymore… I’ve made so many mistakes… and I just can’t stop the pain…” she mumbled, still crying her heart out.
“Whatever you did it's in the past, millions of light years away from you. It can’t affect you anymore.” He tried to comfort her, but his words only made her cry harder.
“I still hear her… her crying haunts me day and night, and it will always haunt me… I have to make it stop…” she said, hiding her face on his wide chest.
“Who's crying? Who are you talking about?” he asked, running his fingers up and down her dark brown hair.
“My baby… my baby girl.” She muttered, crying harder.
This time he allowed her to cry all she wanted, his heart clutched in the bar of steel, squeezing hard.
When the tears finally stopped, he kissed
the top of her head and asked her. “Tell me all about it.”
“It’s pointless.” She protested, with a weak tone.
“Please… I need to know what’s making you hurt so much.” He insisted, hugging her tighter.
Chapter Twelve
She nodded, and after a few moments of silence, she finally started talking. “Two years ago I dropped business school to go into Fashion design school. Fashion had always been my passion, but my parents had never agreed with me and pressed me to go to business school. They are very old-fashioned people, and for them, art school was for promiscuous and immoral people.” She explained. “I tried to please them, I really did, but after two years of torture, studying something I hated with all my heart, I gave up. They were furious with me, but I assured them I would never change, that I would be the same person I was while I was studying business.”
She stopped for a few moments as if remembering all of that cost her way too much.
"And I did… I really did. I went to school, did what I had to do and went back home. I didn't go out with my friends; I didn't go to parties… nothing… but three months later, one of my cousins invited me to a party at a friend's house. Since it was with my cousin, my parents allowed me to go, and I went, eager to spend a good time and see familiar faces." She wiped the tears that had started to fall once more. "I guess I drank too much; I don't remember. What I do remember was waking up in a hotel room, alone."
He caressed her cheek, comforting, as he invited her to go on. “What happened that night?”
“I don’t know. My guess is that a guy invited me to the hotel and I said yes. I kept this to myself, afraid of what my parents would say, but two months later I was forced to tell them because I found out I was pregnant.” She sobbed. “They were furious… they kicked me out of the house and wanted nothing more to do with me. They even gave me some money to leave town and disappear, because they wouldn’t go through the shame of having a single pregnant daughter.”
